Welching on Net Neutrality
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, along with 71 other Democrats, are taking some heat for a letter (Download DemLettertoFCCChairmanGenachowski - pdf) they recently sent to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The one-page letter, according to "net neutrality" supporters, echoes talking points from large telecommunications companies who are opposed to Internet neutrality. In the letter, the members of Congress urge Genachowski to "avoid tentative conclusions which favor government regulation."
Rather, the FCC should resist the temptation to take a greater role in shaping the future of the Internet. The FCC will take up the issue of net neutrality Thursday, where it is expected to take a procedural vote that would start the official rule-making process to make the concept a reality.
Pres. Barack Obama is a strong supporter of net neutrality, as are Internet business gurus like the founders of Google and Craig's List.
That star power hasn't swayed some members of Congress, who worry that regulations could hamper the effort to bring broadband to rural states — such as Vermont.
"We remain suspicious of conclusions based on slogans rather than substance and of policies that restrict and inhibit the very innovation and growth that we all seek to achieve," Welch and his 71 colleagues conclude in their letter.
Online activists are assailing the letter as a slap in the face to the 1.6 million people who have signed an online petition urging for less corporate control of not only what's on the Internet but who is allowed access. Many fear that rural and poor consumers will be denied access to higher-speed networks.
In Vermont, the liberal blog Green Mountain Daily is taking issue with Welch's stance, with one commenter wondering if someone could challenge the two-term Congressman in a Democratic primary.
Welch spokesman Paul Heintz said the congressman's signature on the letter should not be taken as a sign he is opposed to net neutrality. Rather, the congressman wants to ensure there is a balance in the FCC rules that encourages open access and rural expansion of broadband.
"Congressman Welch strongly supports net neutrality and believes the Internet should remain open and available to all consumers. At the same time, he wants to ensure the expansion of broadband access to rural areas throughout Vermont," Heintz told Seven Days. "Congressman Welch continues to urge the FCC to act carefully and deliberately in enacting new rules that balance these two essential priorities."
Major telecom firms have been lobbying Congress and the FCC against net neutrality and handing out plenty in campaign donations, especially members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which oversees telecommunication laws. Welch is a member of that committee.
This year alone, Welch has received more than $10,000 in campaign donations from telecommunication-related political action committees (PACs). Since 2006, Welch has taken in close to $30,000 from various PACs funded by Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, Qwest, communication workers and the wireless industry's PAC, CTIA.
